Details: She was the first woman to obtain a permanent position as a professor at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University Antonianum, the Roman university run by the Order of Friars Minor; she was the first woman to be appointed a dean, which is equivalent to the position of department head and now that Jorge Mario Bergoglio is Pope, she is the first woman to become a rector of a pontifical university in the Eternal City. The Vatican congregation... Read more
From the BBC: Two former senior military officers in Argentina have been convicted in connection with the murder of Bishop Enrique Angelelli in 1976. Former army General Luciano Benjamin Menendez and former Vice-Commodore Luis Fernando Estrella were sentenced to life in prison. Bishop Angelelli died in a car crash in the northern city of La Rioja shortly after the military seized power. Officials insisted that his death was no more than a traffic accident. But the case was reopened when... Read more
Tragic and misguided: A retired United Methodist pastor fatally set himself on fire in a shopping center parking lot in his hometown of Grand Saline, Texas, on June 23. His death was a final act of protest against social injustice, according to family members and the notes the pastor left behind. The Rev. Charles R. Moore, 79, lived in Allen, Texas, near Dallas, but apparently drove himself to Grand Saline, in east Texas, on June 23. At about 5:30 p.m.,... Read more
Last week in his blog, Cardinal Donal Wuerl marked the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Washington, and paid tribute to part of Catholic American history that many may not know: We build on a foundation that began on the first Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit helped guide the Apostles to heed Jesus’ call to be his witnesses and proclaim his Good News to the world. We build on the groundwork that was laid when Catholic settlers first brought the... Read more
Happy 4th, one and all. “I believe that this spiritual and intellectual freedom which we Americans enjoy is our greatest cultural blessing. Therefore, it seems to me, that the first duty of culture is to defend freedom and resist all tyranny.” – Walt Disney Read more
Details: After a pledge by Pope Francis to “excommunicate” mobsters from the Catholic Church, an archbishop in southern Italy has proposed a 10-year ban on naming godparents at baptisms and confirmations as a way to stop the Mafia from spreading its influence. Monsignor Giuseppe Fiorini Morosini, the archbishop of Reggio Calabria, wrote to Francis some time ago with his suggestion “to prevent the exploitation of the church,” in particular by the powerful Calabrian Mafia known as ’Ndrangheta, and discussed his... Read more
Details: She called Pope Francis, and believes he answered. A Massachusetts woman, grieving the sudden death of her 25-year-old son, received an unexpected voicemail last week: a message from the Vatican offering condolences over the loss of her child. Stephany Nicolo, of Wakefield, Mass., told FoxNews.com that a message was left on her cellphone Friday at 6:30 a.m. from a man — speaking in accented English — who identified himself as a representative from the Vatican and says the pope... Read more
A reader sent me the following e-mail, which is an important follow-up on this post regarding married priests: I have a mentally ill son. He has been difficult to deal with since he was 3, and has been hospitalized twice since he was 15 (he’s 17 now). Our home life is very difficult because of his problems — behavior problems, problems trying out new medicines, problems getting him to attend school, and more. We have had to take him to... Read more
Major League Baseball is marking the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s famous farewell speech (coming up on the 4th of July) with the video below—the first basemen of all 30 MLB teams, reciting lines from one of the most famous speeches of the last century. Read more
Details from Religion News Service: A Roman Catholic archbishop in Minnesota who had been one of the hierarchy’s most vocal opponents of gay rights is the target of an investigation into allegations that he had a series of sexual relationships with priests, seminarians and other men. The investigation of Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt is being conducted by a prominent Minneapolis law firm hired by the archdiocese after church officials received an allegation against Nienstedt. The archdiocese confirmed the investigation,... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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